Article of hosiery



Oct. 30, 1951 P. 1 THURsToN ARTICLE oF HosIERY 10 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Jan. 8, 1949 INVENTOR 5 W/msra/V ATTORNEY oct. 30, 1951 P, 1 THURSTON 2,573,117

ARTICLE OF HOSIERY Filed Jan..l e, 194s 1o sheets-sheet 2 ATTORNEY Oct. 30, 1951 Filed Jan. 8, 1949 P. .y THURSTON 'ARTICLE oF HosIl-:RY

10 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORN EY Oct. 30, 1951 P. L. THURSTON ARTICLE 0F HOSIERY Filed Jan. 8, 1949 lO Sheets-Sheet 4 Wav v f *Dzr fl f1 INV TOR 7340/. L 7?/ sro/V Oct. 30, 1951 P. THURsToN 2,573,117

I ARTICLE 0F HOSIERY Filed Jan. s, 1949 1o 11S-Sheet 5 INVENTOR Rez/L L muesra/v Oct. 30, 1951 P. L. THURsToN 2,573,117

v ARTICLE OF HOSIERY Filed Jan. 8. 1949 10 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR WM! L. 717065701/ ATTORNEY Oct. 30, 1951 P. THuR'sToN 2,573,117

"ARTICLE oF HosIERY 10 sheets-sheet 7 Filed Jan. 8. 1949 INVENTOR Wfl/z z. W/z/fsmv ATTORNEY C. 30, 195i P, L, THURSTON 2,573,117 y ARTICLE OF HOSIERY Filed Jan. 8, 1949 10 Sheets-Sheet 8 INVENTOR ATTO R N EY oct. 30, 1951 P THURSTON 2,573,117

ARTICLE 0F HOSIERY Y Filed Jan. 8, -l 10 Sheets-Sheet 9 ATTORNEY Oct. 30, 1951 P. L. THuRsToN 2,573,117

ARTICLE oF HosIERY Filed Jan. s, 1949 1o sheets-sheet 1o INVENTOR P//uz L mega/v ATTORN EY Patented Oct. 30, 1951 UNITED STATES PAE-"ENT QFFICE amant ARTICLE 0F HOSlERY Paul L- lhurstun.,4 Martinsluua WQ Ya, assigner to Interwoven Stockn C(nnpanya New Brinsf wick, N. a corporation of Novi? Jersey Application January 8, 1949', Serial No. 69,961

(ci. sev-18o) 7 Claims.

The present invention relates to the production of multi-color Wrap embroidery rib-knit fabric on circular knitting machines including ,circular knitting machines having oo -aXial superposed needle cylinders with needles operable in either cylinder and selectively transferable from one cylinder to the other. A particular application of the invention is the production of a color-withinf-color wrap embroidery patterns in the ribfknit leg and instep portion of tubular seamless articles 0f hosiery, Asuch as half-hose.

The circular knitting machine herein describ- .ed forms the subject matter of my divisional application, filed December 16, 1949 and bearing Serial No. 133,291.

In producing knitted fabrie Wih a Wrap ernbroidery pattern, the body of the fabric is knit of thread or yarn-usually called the body yarn-Y Which forms the background for the design. At selected stitches of the fabric, a Wrap embroidery thread or yarn is knit in plating relation over the body yarn so .as to come to the outside face of the fabric. By using a wrap thread of dif.- fereut. Color from the body thread, a pleasing multi-color pattern or design can be produc ed, The Wrap thread usually extends in a generally walewise direction, being floated from one course in which it is incorporated to the next.

The production of simple wrap embroidery patterns in liuittina plein fabric oh a single series of needles is relatively easy, various maehihes havihs beeh employed. for this purpose. The problem is more diflicult with seamless rib-knit :tabric` In order to make rib fabric, it is necessary to have a second series of needles which draw stitches in the opposite direction. lStitches which are drawn by one series of needles so that the needle loops come to the outer face of the fabric are referred to as outwardly facing stitches, While stitches which are drawn bythe other series of needles so that the needle loops come to the inner face of the fabric arecalled inwardly facing stitches. In a circular knitting machine for producing rib fabric, the needles of one series are slidably disposed in slots in a tricked cylinder while needles of the other series are carried by a dial or a second needle cylinder which is disposed above, and c0- axial With, the rst. In either case, the dial or the second needle cylinder occupies the space which` in a plain knitting machine is used for the wrap embrodiery mechanism and the presence of thev needles ofthe second series interfere with the wrapping of needles of the rst series. The uroblehi is still more diiioult in a seamless heeesser l of the oelor adiaeeht Wales.`

hosiery ,maohiue Where the. small diameter ofthe oylihder limits the snaee available and median ism reouiredl for o rodueiue a welt or salvage at the upper ede/.el a ton portion of one type of rib iabiiey leg aud instep portions. of another type of rib. iabrie,L reeiprooat ily knit heel and toe poehets and plain kuit sole aad toe baud portions Puts e premium. ou all available. spate..

While wrap broidery meohahism for coaxial syl-luder rib ting meehihes. has. been .tra viouslv proposed, illustrated by Kent U'e S. Eaterit No, 2,965,469 and Holmes U.. .Patent No. Zldlll, the scope; ot patterns that. could be produ/eed by such mechanism has been limit; ed; Where, for exam le; embroidery thread has been ted to suoeessive needles of a group or" needles by oi oorrespohding wrap thread guides, it has either to feed the wrapthread tothesauie needle throughout or elseI to shitt .er shoe all of the thread. guides relative te the needles so that different wrap threads are supplied to of the needles. other words, it has het been possible iadeoen deutl-y to charles the Wren thread fed to ohe needle while ooh huiueto feed the original wrap threads-to adia t needles.y rthese limitations have-restrieted tiebatteruiha possibilities of the hieeh hiero. .l

Tof-maintain leadershio ih the hosiery tieldait A. eri dually tobrius out new arid attraetive designs and patterhs eaeh sueeessive seasoh- The designs are oustorharily first drawn by artists. aud their seht to the huittihs mill Whererheehihes-are set up. to aroduee their:` lt is obviously desirable-gior the maehihes te be able to produeel wh tete designs are dreurlh;e las reason ofthe. lirhi ations referred to abovez this hot. beer-i. nossiblewith the maehihes heretoioreavailable lit is ah'obieet oi the oreseat .iriveutiohhiaterif ally to iherease the uatterhihe possibilities of multifeolor Wraoembroiderr Hatteras rib-hait seamless fabric, particularly in seamless hosiery sash as halieheset lhaeeordaaee with the ihvention, the color of the WrapV thread in any ueedle Waleieah heV ohaheed WhollyA ihdepehdehtly 'lhis Y uraltesl it possible to produce a wide variety ot multi-color wrap embroideru patterns.4 It is, for example, ioosslbley ih aeeordauee with the present ihvehtion, to produce true color-within-color patterns.

i. e patterns ih Whieh there is ehe y .Color course. `Thus, a cross or other design of one color may be completely surrounded by a design of another color. Likewise, it is possible to have one color at all wales of a group of consecutive wales in one course or group of courses and to have another color at the same wales in the next course or group of courses. Innumerable other patterns can likewise be produced by the greatly increased patterning possibilities that are now opened up. With the present invention it is possible to produce virtually any two-color wrap embroidery pattern that can be drawn.

In accordance with the present invention, a plurality of wrap embroidery yarns extend in a walewise direction along each of a plurality of successive needle wales of rib-knit fabric and are knit alternatively at selected stitches of their respective wales. By knitting one or another of the wrap yarns allocated to each needle Wale, the color of the Wale can be changed from stitch to stitch as desired wholly independently of the Wrapping of adjacent wales. The independent control of color in each of a plurality of successive Wales of the fabric makes possible an almost unlimited number of attractive patterns.

The novel fabric structure in accordance with the present invention can be produced on a circular knitting machine having coaxial superposed needle cylinders, double-ended needles operable selectively in either cylinder, means for feeding body thread to the needles and means for actuating the needles to take and knit the thread. Each of selected needles that are to receive wrap thread is provided with a plurality of Wrap thread guides which are operably supported by a carrier inside of, and rotatable with, the upper needle cylinder. Mechanism is provided for selectively actuating the needles and the thread guides to feed one or another of the wrap threads to the respective selected needles in accordance with a predetermined sequence to produce the desired pattern. In the embodiment herein shown and described, one thread guide is operable to feed one wrap thread to a needle at one wrapping station and another thread guide is operable at a second wrapping station to feed a different wrap thread to the same needle. Thus, each of the selected needles may be wrapped at either, both, or neither of said stations in accordance with the particular design that is to be executed. While the invention is herein shown and described as applied to a rib knitting machine, since such machines present a `more diilicult problem, certain features of the invention are also applicable to plain knitting machines as will appear from the following description and claims.

The nature, advantages and possibilities of the invention will be more fully understood from the following description and from the accompanying drawings which illustrate typical examples of the new fabric structure and also illustrate a method and apparatus for producing it.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an article of hosiery embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar side view of the leg portion of an article of hosiery illustrating other patterning possibilities.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic representation on a larger scale of the patterned portion of the fabric shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing a different pattern.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the pattern illustrated in Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a magnified schematic representation of the stitch structure of a small portion of the fabric shown in Fig. 5 as viewed from the outside of the fabric. The area illustrated in Fig. 6 is indicated by broken lines in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a view, partially in vertical section and partially in elevation, of the upper portion of a coaxial cylinder-type circular knitting machine for carrying out my invention, the location of the section being indicated approximately by the line 'I-1 in Fig. 9.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a portion of the selective mechanism controlling the feeding of the wrap threads to the needles.

Fig. 9 is a horizontal section taken approximately on the line 9--9 in Fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary vertical section similar to the upper right-hand portion of Fig. '7 but taken at a different angle around `the machine, as indicated approximately by the line IU-IOinFig. 9. f v

Fig. 11 is a horizontal section taken approximately on the line ll-II in Fig. 7 and showing racking mechanism for the wrap pattern drum.

Fig. 12 is a schematic inside developed view of the upper and lower cam blocks showing the cams for actuating the needles.

Fig. 13 is a schematic perspective view illustrating successive steps in wrapping certain needles at one wrapping station.

Fig. 14 is a similar view illustrating successive steps in wrapping certain needles with a different thread at another wrapping station.

Fig. 15 is an enlarged side view of one of the wrap thread feed guides or fingers.

Fig. 16 is a cross-section on the line lli-I6 of Fig. 15.

As coaxial cylinder knitting machines of the general type to which the present invention pertains are known in the art, being illustrated, for example, by the above mentioned patents, the drawings have been simplified by illustrating only the parts that are new and such associated parts as are necessary to a clear understanding of the invention, enabling those skilled in the art to put it into practice.

The article of hosiery shown in Fig. l has an anti-ravel top edge or welt W, a top portion R, a leg portion L, a heel portion H, a high-spliced portion HS above the heel, an instep portion I, a sole portion S, a toe-band portion TB and a toe T.

The top portion R is formed of fabric capable of sufficient expansion and contraction to pass over the heel of the wearer without difculty and yet grip the leg snugly when in place. In its contracted position, the top is preferably narrower than the leg. For example, the top may be formed of l x 1 or 2 x 2 rib fabric. Elastic thread may be incorporated in to the top to give it additional stretch and recoverability and to make the sock self-supporting. The upper edge of the top is provided with a suitable selvage or welt W to prevent unraveling or running of the fabric. The edge may, for example, be a single thickness elastic selvage or a tubular welt, preferably with elastic thread incorporated in the welt.

The leg portion L and instep portion I are formed of inwardly facing stitches and outwardly facing stiches arranged to form rib knit fabric, such, for example, as Links-Links fabric or broad rib. In Fig. 1 the fabric of the leg and instep portions is illustrated as 6 x 3 rib fabric except in usual manner with appropriate narrowingand widening to provide the desired shape. '.Iheslit S `and circular toeeband'TBV are preferably-formed Wnliblly of outwardly facingl Stitches. Il,` Will understood that the highsplic'e' portion HS 'and scie porti-on s are knit concurrently Wahine corresponding portions of the instepas tubular seamless fabric; 'y Y Y 4 In the example shown `in Fig; 1` the Wrap ernb roidery design is in the forml of a clock extend ingdown each side of the leg and intothe in-` step portion. The clocks on opposite vsidesA 'of the leg are usually alike although they can be diiierent if desired'. The pattern is shownvdia- Vgramnfiatically on a larger scale in Fig; 3 in which the right-hand portion of the figure is a continu'ation of the part shown atV the left.

In Fig. 3, 4each of the small squares Vrepresents a stitch of the fabric. Inwardly facing or rib stitches are indicated by an 'm while outwardly facing stitches are shown plain except where they are wrapped. Stitches of wrap thread are shown shaded or crossehatched. Shading in one direction indicates one color while shadingl in the opposite direction indicates another color. It

will be seen that the wrap pattern is in a panel formed by a group of elevenwales of outwardly facing stitches which are numbered I to IIjref spectively. This panel is bounded on each side by wales of inwardly facing stitches. Thexpattern at its widest portion is eleven wales wide so that it thus extends the full width of the'panel.

The clock shown in Fig. 3A comprises la head portion I2 extending from the point A toi the point B, a neck portion I3 extending from B to C, a 'shaft I 'extending from C toD and a fork K'I5 txending from D to E. It will be seen that there is a different pattern in each of the four portions of the clock. This calls fora diier'ent sequence and arrangement Vof the wrap stitches in each successive portion. The clock `shown in Fig. 3 illustrates the ability `of the invention to j'make repeating 'diagonal patterns going in the same direction. VIt Aalso illustrates how a group of 'consecutive wales can be wrapped rst with one color and then with another, the color of any or all of the wales being changed at will. The color of each wale can be Achanged as desired independently of any of the other wales. The invention thus vmakes it possible for lthe designer to choose as to each individual stitch in each wale whether to use wrap thread of one 'color 'or wrap thread of another color or no wrapthread at all. The stitch structure of the 4fabric and the manner in which the wrap embroidery yarns yare incoporated will be understood more fully "from, the description below lin connection with Fig. 6 which shows another embodimentbut in'- corporates the same principles.

Fig. 4 shows another example of a clock pat- Atern embodying the l present invention. I-rlere again, 'the clock comprises a head portion I2, la neck portionl I3, a shaft portion I4 and "a fork jI 5, thesame reference'characters being employed as in Fig. 3.

attain bev made inaccordance with the present ini/en'- tion;V While only a Small section of the fabric has been shown, it will be understood that the pattern is repeated over the leg portion and instep portion of the sock, asillustrated in-part by Fig. 2; Figs. land 5 clearly illustrate the color- Within-eolo elects that can be obtained in 'ace c'ordance withthe invention. It will be und'ei'e' stood that the size, `shapejand arrangement of the patterns may be varied as desired. The independent control of the color of each Wale makes it possible to produce many patterns which were heretofore unobtainable. While, for the -sake of simplicity, the patterns have been shown in only two colors, it will be understood that three or more colors may be used if desired.

The stitch structure ofthe fabric is illustrated more clearly in the large-scale stitch diagram of Fig. 6. This figure shows on an enlarged scalek a small area 'of the fabric illustrated in Fig. 5 as indicated by broken lines outlining the area. The courses of the fabric shown in Fig. 6 are lettered 'a to m respectively while the wales are numbered 2| to 35. Wales ZI, 22, 23 and also wales 33, 34 and 35 are formed of inwardly facing stitches knit on top cylinder needles. Wales 24 to 32 inclusive are outwardly 'facing stitches knit on lower cylinder needles. The body of the fabric is knit of one or more body yarns designated generically by theV letter Y. In each of wales 25 to 3| there are two wrap threads which, for convenien'ce in identification, are shaded for green and brown, respectively, and are identified by the characters WI and W2. At courses d, e and f in wale 25, the wrap thread WI is knitted in plating relation over the body thread Y. In Wale 2t, the wrap thread WI is knit at courses b, c, g and h. The wrap thread WI is knit at the same courses in Wale 21 While the Wrap thread W2 is knit at course e. In wale 23, the wrap thread WI is knit at course band course h while wrap thread W2 is knit at coursesd, e and f. As the figure is symmetrical, the other half is the same in reverse. By 'reference to Fig.'5 it will be seen that the next lower design is of the same shape but that the colors lare reversed so that the outer part of the l'design is formed with wrap threads W2 while the inner portion is formed Vwith wrap threads WI. While the wrap threads in each of the wales 25 to 3l are indicated WI and W2, respectively, it vwill be understood that the wrap threads oi successive wales need not be alike. For example, the wrap threads used in Wale 26 may be of diieren't color or character from the wrap threads used in 'wal'e 25. vSince there are two separate wrap threads allocated to each Wale, the color of each '-of the wrapped wales can be controlled wholly independently-of the other wale. This 'make'sit possible vto yproduce an exceedingly large number of 'different patterns. Wherever a wrap thread is fn'otknitte'd, it is floated vertically in its `respec- Ttive Wale.

-In speaking of the thread or yarn being ofdifferent color, the term is used 'broadly to include any actual or potential difference in appearance. For example, the threads may diner fromcne another in shade or sheen. Likewise. the threads may-be of the's'aine color when knit but of differ- 'ent characteristicssoasl to respond differently to "subsequent dyeing or other treatment. More- 'fo'ven the 'terms "yarn and thread are used igenericallyrto inc'lide a single strand or a plu*- ralityfofstrandsknit together. a

lApparatus for carrying o ut'the invention is il'- Fig. 5 illustrates an a1-lover pattern 'thatoan '551116 'lstrated in Figs; *I to l1li. Themachinelshownin the drawings is of the coaxial cylinder type having an upper needle cylinder 40 and a lower needle cylinder 4l which are rotatable and oscillatable in synchronism with one another by suitable driving mechanism. Needles 42 provided with a hook and latch at each end are slidable up and down in alined slots provided in the needle cylinders. The needles are transferable from one cylinder to the other and are operable in either cylinder by means of sliders 43 and 44 having knitting butts and transfer butts engageable with needle operating cams provided in cam boxes 45 and 46. The cams are illustrated in Fig. 12 and described in more detail below. The lower needle cylinder is provided with sinkers 41 operable by sinker cams 48. The upper needle cylinder is provided with verge bits 49 over which inwardly facing stitches are drawn by needles operating in the upper cylinder.

Inside the upper needle cylinder and coaxial therewith is a cylindrical carrier I for a plurality of wrap thread guides 52. The thread guides fit snugly into slots provided in the wrap cylinder or carrier 5| which is rotated in synchronism with the upper needle cylinder.

One of the wrap thread feed ngers 52 is shown on an enlarged scale in Figs. and 16. It consists of a body or shank portion 53 carrying at its lower end two projecting arms 54 and 55. The upper arm 54 is longer than the lower arm 55 and is provided at its outer end with a tip portion 56 having one or more perforations or apertures to receive the wrap thread. The lower arm 55 has a similar apertured tip portion 51. As seen in Fig. 16, the tip portions 56 and 51 are inclined in opposite directions to the arms 54 and 55, respectively. The arms 54 and 55 are resilient so as to be swingable relative to the shank portion 53, the axis of swinging movement being approximately parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shank.

At its upper end, the thread guide 52 is provided with a levelling butt 58 and one or more actuating butts 59. In the embodiment illustrated, there are actuating butts at sixteen different levels. The thread guides are preferably made with butts that can be broken off, leaving only such butts as are required to produce the particular wrap embroidery pattern that is set up on the machine. The rear edge of the shank portion 53 is shaped so as to provide a fulcrum 60 approximately midway between the upper and lower ends. The front edge likewise has a fulcrum point 6 I.

One of the wrap thread feed fingers 52 is provided for each of the needles that is to be Wrapped. One wrap yarn is threaded through the eye at the tip of arm l54 while another wrap yarn is threaded through the eye at the tip of arm 55 (Fig. 15), the yarns being brought down through guide tubes 64 from reels or cones (not shown) carried on a rack 65 which rotates with the needle cylinders. The lower portion of rack 65 is shown in Fig. 7. The wrap yarn is preferably threaded through the eyes of the two arms from opposite directions, one of the yarns being the wrap yarn Wl, as illustrated in Fig. 6, and 'the other being wrap yarn W2. While in the embodiment illustrated in the drawings the two thread guiding arms 54 and 55 are swingably mounted on the same shank portion 53, they are operable, as described more fully below, -in such manner that the corresponding needle can be wrapped either with the yarn carried by arm 54 or, alternatively, with the yarn carried by arm 55. The duplex wrap thread finger -52 thus constitutes in effect two separate thread guides both of which serve the same needle in such manner that the needle can be wrapped with one thread or another as desired, wholly independently of the wrapping of adjacent needles.

The means for selectively actuating the wrap thread guides is illustrated in Figs. 7, 8 and 9. A series of eight selector levers 66 (Fig. 9) are swingable about a vertical post 61 and have nose portions 68 adapted to engage corresponding actuating butts 59 of the wrap thread guides at a wrapping station I, the selector levers being disposed at levels corresponding to the eight upper levels of the actuating butts. A second series vof eight selector levers 'l0 are likewise swingable about post 61 and have nose portions 'Il adapted to engage corresponding actuating butts 59 of the wrap thread ngers at a second wrapping station II disposed approximately from the wrapping station I. The levers I0 of the second series are located at levels corresponding to the eight lower levels of the wrap thread linger butts. The selector cams or levers 66 and 'I0 are both controlled from a single wrap pattern drum 12 which may be of any desired type but is shown in the form of a perforated drum or cylinder carrying a multiplicity of removable pins or cam segments 13. While the pattern drum may, if desired, be mounted so that the pins 13 directly engage portions of the selector levers to swing them inwardly into engagement with the wrap thread ngers, the embodiment illustrated in the drawings utilizes a series of actuating levers 14 for transmitting motion from the pattern drum to the selectors. Each of the actuating levers 14 comprises a U-shaped strap portion '15, the opposite legs of which are perforated to receive a pivot shaft 16. At one end, the leg is extended to provide an arm 1l' adapted to engage the corresponding selector lever. The central portion of the U-shaped strap 'I5 carries a laterally oiset arm 18 (Figs. 7 and 9) having a nose portion adapted to be engaged by pins carried by the pattern drum '12. When the nose of the arm 18 rides up on a pin 13, the actuating lever 14 is swung in a clockwise direction (Fig. 9) about the shaft 16 so that the arm 'l1 presses inwardly on the corresponding selector lever 66 or-lll. Each of the selector levers is provided with a spring 19 for withdrawing the lever when there is no pin. While all of the actuating levers 14 are similar to one another and operate in the same manner, they diner in size and shape so as to nest one inside another, as illustrated in Fig. 7. Morever, the arms 11 of the actuating levers for selectors 66 are somewhat longer than those for selectors 10, as illustrated in Fig. 9. With the arrangement shown, the selector levers 66 and 1U can be mounted close together while the pin engaging arms 18 of the corresponding vactuating levers 14 are spaced farther apart in order to provide greater pattern selection, as described below.

In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the wrap pattern drum 72 has sixty-four horizontal rows of pins with forty-eight pins in each row. Mechanism is provided for racking the pattern drum one step forward each revolution of the needle cylinder and for moving the pattern drum axially at predetermined intervals so as to bring one or another of the horizontal rows of pins into alignment with the arms 'I8 of the actuating levers 14. Each actuating lever is controllable by any of four rows of pins, depending upon the axial position of the pattern drum. l

The wrap pattern drum is 4rotatably supported by a post 80 `and is racked by means of a pawl 8| engagingratchet teeth 82 on the drum. The `pawl 8| is pivotally mounted at 83 cna slide 84 (Fig. ll) which is reciprocate'd by means of a link 85 carrying `a roller liliA adapted to be engaged by a cam 81 on a counter shaft 88 through which the upper cylinder and wrap thread finger carrier are rotated. As the slide 84 is reciprocated in a lengthwise direction, as indicated by the arrows (Fig. 11i), the nose of the pawl engages the teeth of rack 82 to rack the pattern drum. In order to stop the racking of the drum when desired, there is provided a hold-out cam 90 (Fig. l1) carried by a carrier 9| 'which is oscillat'able about the axis of the pattern drum. An arm 92 (Fig. 8) pivotally mounted at 93 and having a cam follower portion l94 adapted to be engaged by links 95 on an auxiliary pattern chain 96 is connectedby a link 91 with an arm 98 on a shaft 99 which extends diametrically through the 'stationary Supporting base ofthe pattern drum and `is provided at its opposite end with an upwardly lproecting finger which fits between projections |0| on the carrier 9| of the hold-out cam 90. When the cam follower v94 rides up on a high link of the patternr chain 96, the carrier 9| is swung in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 11, so that the cam 90 holds the vpawl 8| out of engagement with the ratchet vteeth 82, and prevents the pattern drum from racking. If desired, a 'similar pawl and hold-out cam are provided on the opposite side of the drum to rack the drum in the opposite direction, in which event the pattern chain 98 has three levels of links to control the direction of rotation, as well as the starting fand stopping of the drum as illustrated in my cci-pending application Serial f No. 133,291, nled December i6, '1949.

The vertical position of the wrap pattern drum is controlled by means of a pattern cam |93 (Fig. 8) which engages a roller |04 on the lower end of a vertically slidable post |05 carrying at its upper end a fork |06, the arms of which engage a corresponding groove |01 (see also Fig. "1) in the pattern drum. The cam 4wheel H13 is 'provided vvith four different levels corresponding to the four vertical positions of the wrap pattern drum. The 'rotation of the .cam wheel. `|03 is controlled from the main pattern drum or from the auxiliary pattern chain 96 so as to move the wrap pattern drum vertically atV predetermined points in the knitting of 'a sock.

In order to avoid `interference between 'the pins 13 of the wrap pattern drum 12 and the pinengaging arms 18 (Fig. 9) when the .patterndrum is shifted axially, the vertical rows of pins may be sufiiciently far apart that the nose of lever 18 is between two pins when the axial shift occurs. By coordinating Ythe timing of the axial shift and the racking of the pattern drum 12, the shift can be effected between pins. Alternatively, the pins can be placed closer together-in order to decrease Vthe diameter of the drum-'and wide-spaces left only at one or more points where an axial shift of the drum is to be made. As illustrated in Fig. 9, there are four wide spaces |09 located at quarter points around the circumference of the drum 12. At these peints thespacing is twice as great as elsewhere. In order to compensate for the difference in spacing of the pins, it isnecessary to rack the driini 12 'twice as far at the points where the wider gaps |109 occur.

This is accomplished by providing on the pawl lBIS adapted to engage Vdepressions III in a cam disc I I2 which rotates with the pattern drum 12. The movement of the pawl 8| is sufiiciently great to enable it to rack the drum a distance of two teeth on each reciprocation of the slide 84. However, when the cam lobe I |`0 is in engagement with Vthe outer periphery of cam disc I I2, the pawl is held out so that it misses the first tooth and hence racks the drum only the distance of one tooth. When the cam lobe I I0 drops into one of the depressions III in the cam disc, the pawl is permitted to engage the first tooth of the ratchetand thereby rack the drum twice as far.

As vexplained above, the engagement of one of the selector levers 65 with an actuating butt on one of the wrap lingers 52 (Figs. 7 and 9.) pushes the upper end of the finger in and rocks the linger about its fulcrum (Fig.l 15) so that vthe lower end swings out at the rst wrapping station I. The thread guides are swung back in by a re'- tracting cam |14 (Fig. 10) which `engages the upwardly projecting end 62 of the finger, causing it to rock about the fulcrum point 0I (Fig: 15). Likewise, at the second wrapping station II, `the wrap finger can be swung out by engagement with one o'f the selector levers 10 and is retracted by acam I|'5. The actuation of the wrap fingers at one or another of the wrapping stations is controlled by the pins in the wrap pattern drum 12 and by the position of one or more actuating butts 59 on the wrap finger. A leveling cam ||6 'adapted to engage butts 58 'of the fingers is vprovided in advance of each wrapping station to position the lingers at the proper height. Although shownin Fig. '7, the-cam ||6 is actually ahead of the position a'twhich this section is taken.

In knitting wrap embroidery fabric, the needles are-actuated in such manner'as to cooperate with the wrap thread guides to take one or another of the wrap threads-except in those stitches where no wrap thread is tobe incorporated-and are then actuated to take the body thread and to draw stitches `of the body thread and wrap thread,

if any. Cams for `actuating the needles are .shown diagrammatically in Fig. 12. The upper cylinder cam box 45 (Fig. 7) comprises a guard cam |20, a bolt cam I2I, guard cam |22, stitch cam |23, partial clearing cam |24 andV a bolt cam |25 which serves to block a track |26 through which the slider butts travel during the making of awelt. The cam |25 valso serves as a clearing cani. All of these cams work on the knitting butts Aof the upper cylinder sliders 43. An upper transfer cam |21 is adapted selectively to engage transfer butts `of the sliders to transfer needles 'from the upper to the `lower cylinder. The position of the body thread feed is indicated at F.

The lower .cylinder cam box 46 (Fig. '1) includes switch cams |30, a draw-down cam I3I, va retractable wrap-positioning cam I 32, reverse stitch cam |33, center cam |34, forward stitch cam |35, partial clearing cam |36, gate cam |31, clearing cam |38, retractable shedding .cam |39 and wrap-positioning cam |40, all working on .the knitting butts of the lower sliders 44. A lower transfer cam |4| selectively engages transfer butts of the lower cylinder sliders to transfer needles from the lower to the upper cylinder. There is also a swinging draw-down cam |42, which also works on the lower transfer butts. The various ymovable cams are controllable by th main patterning mechanism of the machine in usual manner to move them into and out of position, as required, and also to provide suitable needle selection. The individual needle .selection may be effected by mechanism similar to that shown in Figs. 7, 8 and 9 acting on jacks to raise selected needles. Group needle selection may be effected by using different lengths of butts on the sliders.

A latch guard |45 carried by the upper cam block is provided with windows |46 and |41 at locations corresponding tothe two wrapping stations to permit the wrap thread guides to swing out around the needles, as hereinafter described.

The operation of the machine will be understood from a brief description of the steps for making the article of hosiery illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3. After knitting the welt W and the top R in the usual manner, a, selective needle transfer is effected to position the proper needles in the upper and lower cylinders, respectively, to

'make the rib-knit leg portion. The needles for knitting wales I to I| (Fig. 3) are in the lower cylinder. The wrap pattern drum '|2 (Fig. 7) is started racking, the drum being in its highest position so as to bring the lowest of each set of four rows of pins into alignment with the corresponding selector actuating levers 14. The wrap-positioning cams |32 and |40 (Fig. 12) are in operative position to position the needles at the proper levels for wrapping at the respective Wrapping stations. The wrapping of selected needles at one or another of the wrapping stations is controlled by the selective cooperation of the needles and the wrap thread guides to form the head portion I2 of the clock shown in Fig. 3. At the rst wrapping station the needles that are to be wrapped are positioned at such height by the cam 40 that the tip of the upper wrap thread guide 54 will engage the upper end of the needle when the guide is swung out by one of the selector levers 66 (Fig. 9). Owing to the inclination vof the tip portion 55, the guide passes to one side of the needles as it swings out and comes back on the opposite side of the needle so that the wrap thread carried by the guide is looped through the hook of the needle, as illustrated in Fig. 13 which shows successive steps in the wrapping operation. The wrap fingers are retracted by the cam ||4 (Figs. 9 and 10). Only those needles are wrapped at the rst station which are to receive the wrap thread fed by the upper thread guide 54.

At the second wrapping station, the needles 'that are to receive the other wrap thread are 'positioned at the proper level by cam |32 (Fig.v

12). These needles are at a lower level than the needles wrapped at the rst station so as to be engaged by the tip portions ofthe lower thread guides 55. Alternatively the wrapping fingers are raised by the levelling cam ||5. The wrapping finger 52 is swung out farther at the second wrapping station by engagement of selector levers so as to swing the tip of the lower thread guide around the upper end of selected needles, as illustrated in Fig. 14. Owing to the inclination of the tip portion 51 of the lower thread guide (Fig. 15), the tip passes out on one side of the needle and is then deflected so as to come back on the other side. The needles wrapped at the second wrapping station receive 4only the thread fed by the lower thread guide 55.

It will thus be seen that any of the needles provided with wrap thread guides can be wrapped with one thread at the rlrst wrapping station or with another thread at the second wrapping station. The wrapping of each needle is independent of the adjacent needles. Consecutive needles or spaced needles can be wrapped as desired.

When the head portion |2 of the clock shown in Fig. 3 is completed, the wrap pattern drum 12 is dropped down one notch so as to bring a second row of pins into alignment with each of the selector actuating levers. These pins can thus be set up to provide an entirely different pattern in the neck portion I3. The wrap pattern drum is again lowered by successive steps at points C and D (Fig. 3) in order to bring successive rows of pins into operation for making the shaft |4 and fork |5. The foot of the sock is knit in usual manner except for the wrapping in the instep portion, the heel and toe being knit by reciprocation of the needle cylinders.

By wrapping each of selected needles with selected wrap thread at one wrapping station and then, in the same course, wrapping each of selected needles with different wrap thread at another wrapping station, the needle selection at the first station being independent of and, for most patterns, different from that at the second an extremely wide range of attractive wrap patterns can be produced. While in the embodiment illustrated in the drawings the two wrap thread guides for each needle are shown as separate arms or yarn fingers on a single body portion of shank, it will be readily understood that the guides may be wholly separated from one another. Still other modifications of the invention within the scope of the annexed claims will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An article of hosiery comprising a foot portion having a heel and toe and an integral leg portion formed of tubular seamless fabric composed of body yarn knit to form inwardly facing stitches and outwardly facing stitches arranged in predetermined order and a plurality of wrap yarns extending walewise along each of a plurality of successive wales and knit alternatively at selected stitches of their respective wales.

2. An article of hosiery comprising a foot portion having a heel and toe and an integral leg portion formed of tubular seamless fabric composed of body yarn knit to form inwardly facing stitches and outwardly facing stitches arranged in predetermined order and a plurality of wrap yarns of different color extending walewise along each of a plurality of successive wales and knit alternatively at selected stitches of their respective wales, wrap yarn of one color being knit both above and below wrap yarn of another color in the same Wale.

3. An article of hosiery comprising a foot portion having a heel and toe andan integral leg portion formed of tubular seamless fabric composed of body yarn knit to form inwardly facing stitches and outwardly facing stitches arranged in predetermined order and a pair of wrap yarns extending along each of a group of successive outwardly facing wales, one of said wrap yarns of a pair being knit in plating relation over the body yarn at selected stitches in its respective wale and the other wrap yarn of said pair being knit in plating relation over the body yarn at other stitches in said wale.

4. An article of hosiery comprising a foot portion having a heel and toe and an integral leg portion formed of tubular seamless fabric composed of body yarn knit to form inwardly facing stitches and outwardly facing stitches arranged in predetermined order and a plurality of wrap yarns of different color extending walewise along each of a group of successive wales and knit interchangeably at selected stitches of their respective Wales, the wrap yarn in one of said wales being changed at one point and the wrap yarn of another of said wales being changed at a different point in the walewise extent of the fabric. f

5. An article of hosiery comprising a foot portion having a heel and toe and an integral leg portion formed of tubular seamless fabric composed of yarn knit to form inwardlly facing stitches and outwardly facing stitches arranged in predetermined order and having a multi-color Wrap embroidery pattern extending over a group of not less than 6 consecutive wales, said pattern being formed by a plurality of wrap threads extending in a walewise direction and knit at selected stitches, there being two different Wrap threads knit selectively in each of said wales and the selection in each Wale being independent of the selection in any of the other wales.

6. An article of hosiery comprising a foot portion having a heel and toe and an integral leg portion formed of tubular seamless fabric composed of body yarn knit to form inwardly facing stitches and outwardly facing stitches arranged in predetermined order and a plurality cf wrap yarns of different color extending walewise along each of a plurality of successive wales and knit alternatively at selected stitches of their respective wales, Wrap yarn of one color being knit both above and below wrap yarn of another color in'the same Wale and also on both sides of said latter wrap yarn in the same course.

7. An article of hosiery comprising a foot portion having a heel and toe and an integral leg portion formed of tubular seamless fabric composed of body yarn knit to form inwardly facing stitches and outwardly facing stitches arranged in predetermined order and a plurality of wrap yarns of different color extending walewise along each of a group of successive wales and knit interchangeably at selected stitches of their respective Wales, the wrap yarns in one of said Wales being interchanged at selected points in the walewise extent of the fabric while continuing the same wrap yarns in other of said wales without change at said points.

PAUL L. THURSTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED- STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,965,873 Wildt et al. July 10, 1934 2,065,469 Kent Dec. 22, 1936 2,156,185 Levin Apr. 25, 1939 2,358,640 Holmes Sept. 19, 1944 2,376,246 Getaz May 15, 1945 2,387,253 Getaz Oct. 23, 1945 2,421,817 Thurston et al. June 10, 1947 2,463,751 Deans et al Mar. 8, 1949 

